SERIAN: A total of 28,835 Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM) veterans have received the ‘Bantuan Sara Hidup’ (BSH) benefit as of April 15, 2024.
This assistance was provided through an allocation of RM244 million by the Ministry of Defence via the Veterans Affairs Department (JHEV).
Deputy Defence Minister, Adly Zahari said that the increase in funding, which has almost tripled from RM56 million in 2023, aims to ensure that retired military personnel in need received appropriate assistance.
“This increase will help them receive monthly aid to improve their standard of living and livelihoods.
“The increase is significant. And the ministry will not stop there. The government will always look ahead to continue empowering veterans and armed forces,” he said.
He told reporters this after the ‘Peduli Veteran Madani’ programme at Serian Community Hall today.
On the same note, Adly asserted that there were approximately 213,000 registered veterans with JHEV.
As such, he stressed that any ATM veterans who have not yet registered should do so through the provided system, the Veteran Integrated Benefit System (VIBES) 2.0.
He said this was to ensure that no veteran missed out on the benefits or contributions allocated specifically for them.
“Over the past five years, we have attempted to contact 22,000 veterans regarding job opportunities, but unfortunately, over 8,000 were unreachable.
“The current issue is that a few of them are veterans without pension.
“We are concerned about whether this group needs assistance or not, and we also do not know their socioeconomic status,” he added.
After the programme, Adly also went to visit nine ailing and person-with-disability (PwD) ATM veterans in the constituency.
In addition to receiving food baskets, basic necessities, and cash contribution totaling RM300, two of them were awarded the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM).
Adly also disclosed that seven retired military personnel in Sarawak were awarded the ‘Pingat Jasa Malaysia’ (PJM), with two recipients each in Serian, Kuching, Samarahan, and Lundu.
